It was ten years ago when Amazon.com decided to sue Barnes And Noble. Amazon.com had patented the "1 click" buying technique. After everyone recovered from, "You got a patent for THAT?!?", people turned it, like how people turned the hot coffee at McDonald's incident, into a poster child. For how software patents were officially out of control. Thankfully, a federal court overturned Amazon.com's injuction, saying that Barnes And Noble had raised substantial doubt about whether the patent should have been granted. But Amazon.com kept the patent, even as tech publisher Tim O'Reilly offered a $10,000 bounty to any prior art that would shoot Amazon.com down in flames. Amazon.com defended it's right to the patent, and gleefully rubbed everyone's noses in it. Between that and how they monitor everything you do on their pages, right down to where your mouse hovers (the software will sometimes react to deals if you behave in a recognizable pattern), I tend to be annoyed with them. Like most companies with a stupid software patent that they could use as a weapon or a gravy train, Amazon.com told everyone, "Neener neener neener."

Karma is a bitch.

August 3 marks the start of a trial that was filed back in 2006. Cordance Corp says that they actually applied for and received a patent on "1 click" buying before Amazon.com did and they want some cash. Amazon.com could potentially use everything that was used against it as a defense. But I don't care. If they succeed, another bogus patent falls. If they fail, Amazon.com has to atone for its hubris. Either way, I call this a win.